2027: Bandits behind plot to attack NYSC members, disrupt polls, says INEC chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has disclosed that suspects arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged plot to attack National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to be deployed as ad hoc staff for the 2027 general elections were bandits.

Amupitan, who made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking at the Chatham House in London, said intelligence gathered through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) helped security operatives uncover the plot and arrest those involved.

He said the suspects allegedly planned to target electoral workers to frustrate the conduct of the 2027 elections.

“Very recently, using intelligence under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, we discovered that there was a particular bandit that decided to attack our workforce, which is the ad hoc staff, the National Youth Corps members,” he said.

“Through intelligence, we were able to break into that bandit. They were arrested, and the main confession was that the essence was to target the 2027 election and ensure that the election did not even hold”, he said.

The INEC chairman said the suspects were currently being prosecuted at the Federal High Court by the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to him, the commission had strengthened its collaboration with security agencies to identify potential threats and prevent attacks on electoral personnel and facilities ahead of the elections.

Amupitan explained that INEC was also using an Election Risk Management (ERM) tool to identify vulnerable areas and polling units across the country.

He said the commission had mapped polling stations within 500 metres of identified danger zones to enable security agencies to make appropriate deployment and take preventive action.

The INEC chairman said insecurity remained one of the major concerns ahead of the elections, stressing that the commission was determined to ensure that the polls were conducted peacefully.

He said INEC had learnt lessons from previous elections and was taking measures to address security, logistics and result-management challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan said the credibility of Nigeria’s elections was important not only for the country but also for stability across West Africa and the African continent.